


Rachel's Birthday

by rachelstwomoms (LadySoymilk)



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Best Friends, Birthday Party, Childhood Friends, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Rachel Amber Lives, Rachel Lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2020-10-12 09:37:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20562164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadySoymilk/pseuds/rachelstwomoms
Summary: Today is Rachel's first birthday in Arcadia Bay since her family moved from California. This year, Rose let her come up with her birthday itinerary all by herself, and everything's been planned and ready for weeks. She gets to have a pool party with her whole class... a sleepover with her new best friends, Chloe and Maxine... and Sera's even coming to visit all the way from Long Beach! The party's started, the guests are having a blast, and now it's almost time for cake. It looks like this may turn out to be Rachel's best birthday bash yet! What could possibly go wrong?





	1. The Pool Party

**Author's Note:**

> * In this alternate universe, Rachel refers to her stepmother by her first name, Rose. Sera Gearhardt, her biological mother, is "Mom" and (unlike canon) has always been part of Rachel's life.

_ _

_Stupid._

The birthday girl sits alone, face twisted into a deep scowl, watching her party from her from her spot on the edge of the sofa. Some of her classmates are crowded around the kitchen counters where the party snacks lay out in big bowls, grabbing handfuls of cheese-flavored chips, bright orange dust sticking to fingertips still wet from the pool. She can’t see into the backyard from the living room, but she can hear the boys howling and whooping wildly, playing some kind of obnoxious game that’s causing a lot of splashing. A few of her friends are taking a break from swimming and are watching her from the next room. Whispering. And from the way they keep glancing towards her practically every other word, it’s obvious that they’re talking about her.

_ _Stupid._ _

Two girls break from their circle and slowly, cautiously come her way.

So she narrows her eyes, locks her jaw in a stiff frown and glares daggers at them. Daring them to take another step. When they freeze, changing their minds and quickly sitting back down, she smirks in satisfaction.

_ _This party is stupid. _ _

Her back itches and she twitches. Tilting her head backwards, she shakes out her long, blonde hair from where it was sticking to her shoulders due to a combination of chlorine, sunscreen and mid-July heat. Sighing and crossing her arms tightly across her chest, she presses herself deeper into the sofa cushions.

It’s not like she expected her party to pause for her.

It’s just really… no, __hella__ unfair and annoying that everyone else gets to be happy and have a great time when this is the__ worst day of her life. __

She wonders how much longer she has until Chloe and Maxine come looking for her.

“Rachel! Where are you?”

Speak of the devils.

Chloe, dripping wet and tracking water across the hardwood floors, spots her first and comes bounding over. Maxine, wrapped like a burrito in her oversized bath towel, trails close behind.

“What are you doing in here?” Chloe plops herself down on the sofa right next to Rachel. “You said you would be right back and that was __ages __ago. What were you doing?”

Rachel gives a short shrug and gestures to the half-empty cup of orange soda on the coffee table. “I was thirsty.”

“Oh, sweet!” Chloe grabs the cup and takes a swig, then passes it over to Maxine, who first peers inside at the liquid before taking a small sip too. “Anyways, you took forever so Maxine and I finished the game by ourselves.”

“We did wait for you,” Maxine insists, “but you never came back.”

“So, after you left, we found a secret underwater passageway that led us straight into enemy territory!” Chloe explains. “They didn’t see us coming, so we were able to sneak up and ambush them. They put up a good fight but, alas, they were no match for Captain Bluebeard and Long Max Silver!”

Smiling, Maxine frees one of her hands and holds up something shiny and round. “We got the amulet back.”

“Yeah, no thanks to __somebody__ who abandoned her crew in their time of need,” Chloe teases, expecting a snarky comeback or a playful shove on the shoulder like usual. It never comes. Actually, it doesn’t even look like her friend’s paying attention. She seems to be in a strange sort of mood all of a sudden. Chloe waves a hand in front of Rachel’s face. “Hellooo? Earth to Rachel.”

“Are you okay?” Maxine starts to worry.

Rachel heaves an agitated sigh. “This party hella sucks.”

Chloe and Maxine share an equally confused, equally concerned look. After a moment, Chloe clears her throat and speaks in a lighthearted tone, trying to bring Rachel out of her funk. “Well, anyways, Rose told us to tell you it’s almost time for cake. We’re all supposed to get changed and meet back at the table in ten minutes.”

Rachel doesn’t give a verbal response. She merely shrugs her shoulders and goes back to sulking.

“Uh, okay… Well, we’ll be back,” Chloe says, backing off. “Let’s go, Maxine.”

The corners of Maxine’s lips are turned down in a worried frown as she looks at Rachel. She reluctantly leaves to follow Chloe and the two of them run off to change into dry clothes. But, just as promised, they return after a few minutes to fetch the birthday girl.

Rachel allows her friends to drag her into the dining room, where most of the party guests have gathered. They lead her to the head of the table and have her sit in her “birthday throne” -- the only chair with balloons tied to it and streamers woven through the gaps in the backrest. Rose carries a pretty double-tiered cake from the kitchen over to the dining table, eliciting various noises of awe and excitement from Rachel’s sugar craving classmates. Already a skilled little actress, Rachel puts on her most convincing look of disinterest and boredom.

“All right, kids, step back please,” James says, clearing a small opening so he can reach the cake. He pulls out a matchbook from his pocket and he and Rose start to light the candles. It takes four matches and over a minute for the pair of them to get all twelve lit. Red, blue, yellow and pink wax melt into unappetizing puddles on the frosting, and Rose encourages everyone to hurry and start the birthday song while there are still candles left.

Chloe grins and starts waving her hands like the conductor of some grand orchestra, and Maxine and the other kids all start to sing.

_ _\----------_ _ _ _  
_ _

Rachel the Pirate Queen is on a very important mission, entrusted by Captain Bluebeard herself. She only has a few minutes to return to their trusty ship, the Bane of Arcadia, before the tides change and it becomes impossible to reach the island tonight. If they don’t, it will be too late to reclaim their stolen treasure, and worse, their amulet will be in the hands of the enemy!

The most practical way to access the island is by swimming through a dark, treacherous underwater cave. But the entrance is always under heavy surveillance by evil mermaid guardians. 

And Rachel has a bunch of old mermaid dolls that would be totally perfect for their game.

The newly turned twelve year old leaps up the stairs two at a time and bursts into her bedroom, immediately opening her closet and tearing its contents apart. Rose will probably get mad at her later for making a mess, but she can deal with that when the time comes. Right now she has to find those mermaids. After going through the closet without any luck, Rachel starts to rummage through dresser drawers and bookshelves.

That’s when her phone rings.

Breaking into a huge smile, Rachel immediately drops what she’s doing and grabs her phone from her bed, flipping it open and hitting the “answer” button without looking at the caller ID. There’s only one person who could possibly be phoning her right now, and Rachel’s been waiting for this call the entire day.

“Hi Mom!”

_ _“Happy birthday, Baby. I love you so much.”_ _

“Love you too!” Rachel takes a seat on the edge of her mattress and cradles the phone to her ear. “Mom, where are you? You’re gonna miss the cake and presents!”

_ _“Dawn, listen-”_ _

“Wait ‘til you see the cake! Rose got me the special kind, you know, where there’s the bottom cake and then a smaller one stacked on top? It’s chocolate with chocolate frosting, and the frosting is really, really shiny, like the kind we had for my birthday last year. From that place near the mall that you and me went to! Remember?”

_ _“Dark chocolate cupcakes. I remember.”_ _

“The outside is covered in rainbow sprinkles and it’s so pretty. Mom, some of the sprinkles are tiny silver stars!”

_ _“It sounds beautiful. Eat an extra slice for me, okay?”_ _

“Chloe and Maxine are sleeping over tonight, but tomorrow we can-” Rachel halts mid-sentence as the implications of her mother’s choice of words hit her, and all of a sudden there’s a strange sort of heaviness in the pit of her stomach. “You’re still coming, aren’t you?”

_ _“My boss called me late last night. Baby, there was a big mix-up involving some of the orders at work and he needed me to come in today to help straighten things out.”_ _

“But you already took the week off. You told me that he said it was okay.”

_ _“I know, Dawn. But I was the one in charge of those orders. They can’t fix the problem without me.”_ _

“You’re almost done, though, right? You can take a later flight, and I can save you a piece of cake, and… and it’s okay even if it’s really late! I’ll stay up until you get here!”

_ _“We’re trying to sort everything out as fast as we can, but things aren’t looking good.”_ _

There’s a long pause of silence before Rachel speaks again. When she does, her tone is flat. “So you’re not coming.” It’s not a question. She already knows the answer.

_ _“I’m so, so sorry. I want to be there with you more than anything. You know that, right?”_ _

The longer Sera talks, the less Rachel hears. Her heart thumps in her ears. Her grip tightens around her phone. Her shoulders start to tremble, but not from the cold. In fact, her skin is still warm to the touch from spending most of the afternoon in the sun. “But it’s my birthday!” Rachel growls, voice strained and a pitch higher than normal. 

_ _“I might be able to come up next week instead. I promise we’ll celebrate then.”_ _

“NO!” Rachel is feeling a mixture of emotions, hurt and disappointment at the top of the list, but it manifests as anger and she explodes at Sera through the phone. “It’s not fair! You promised you’d come today!”

_ _“Rachel, please. Believe me, I wish-“_ _

“You’re a liar!” Rachel spits, the words spilling out as rage takes control of her mouth. “Forget it! I don’t care! This… this is BULLSHIT!”

Before Sera can say anything else, or scold her for throwing in a swear, Rachel snaps her phone shut.

_ _

_ _\----------_ _

_ _

The “Happy Birthday” song is a big, fat lie. Rachel isn’t happy at all.

About halfway through the song, she reaches her limit and she’s over it. Over everything. Everybody.Over this whole stupid party.Rachel tries to hold back her anger, tries to just keep her eyes on the cake and block out everything else, but she can still see everybody’s __stupid __smiling faces in her peripheral vision.

And she can’t take it.

Standing so abruptly and forcefully that it sends her chair skidding backwards several inches, Rachel grabs the platter underneath her cake and lifts it up as high as she can. The cake is heavier than it looks, so she struggles to hold it any higher than eye-level, but this is more than enough to cause her party guests to stop singing and watch her in confusion.

Having about a decade’s worth of experience dealing with her stepdaughter’s fiery temper and subsequent outbursts, Rose is the first to realize what’s about to happen. Her arms shoot out towards the cake instinctively. "Rachel, don’t-"

But the warning is a little too late, and Rose is pretty sure that it would have been futile regardless.

To everyone’s horror, Rachel smashes the cake down onto the tabletop. The top layer is knocked askew, cracking into two chunks, and the motion alone puts out all but three of the candles. A few of her friends gasp, but then shocked silence spreads through the room. Rachel can tell without even looking that everyone’s staring at her. 

In the next second, Rachel bolts from the scene, pushing past several classmates in her haste and roughly bumping into somebody with her shoulder. She doesn’t stop to see who it is. Right now she doesn’t care. She disappears upstairs and slams her bedroom door behind her. James calls his daughter’s name and makes a move to go after her, but Rose stops him.

“No, James. Let her be.” Rose is all too familiar with Rachel’s tantrums and knows that there’s no point in trying to talk to her until she’s had time to cool down. “Right now I could use your help.”

While Rose and James decide what to do about the birthday cake situation, the rest of the room falls into chaos. The kids all start talking at once, some asking what’s wrong with Rachel… some wondering if there’s still going to be cake… but most expressing their utter astonishment at the cake incident.

“Hey! Maxine’s bleeding!”

The announcement is loud enough to be heard over all the clamor. Rose whips her head around at the mention of blood and spots Chloe fussing over Maxine, who’s in tears and has her hands over her nose and mouth.

Rose hurries over and sits her in one of the chairs. “Oh, Maxine, she ran into you, didn’t she? Let me take a look.” Carefully taking Maxine’s hands away from her face, Rose is met with the unpleasant sight of dark red blood trailing slowly trailing down the girl’s mouth and chin. “James, grab me some Kleenex, would you?”

“I’ll get it!” yells Chloe, jumping up. She quickly retrieves the box of tissues that she remembers seeing in the living room earlier.

Rose thanks Chloe, then grabs a handful of tissues and holds them against Maxine’s nose. Maxine pulls back slightly, crying out in pain, so Rose adjusts hold to one that’s more gentle. “Sorry, sweetheart. I know it hurts.”

Chloe stands by her best friend’s side and holds her hand. “Don’t worry, I promise it’s not that bad.”

After a minute, Rose removes the tissues and inspects the damage. The bleeding already seems to be stopping. “Chloe’s right. There’s not too much blood left. You’re going to be fine.” Behind her, James finishes inspecting the confectionery carnage and reports that the serving platter is still intact and the cake should still be safe to eat. Rose plucks some fresh tissues from the box. “Thank goodness. Here, Maxine, take these and I’ll check back on you in a bit, okay?” The woman runs off to wash her hands, then joins her husband in slicing up the cake for anybody who still wants some.

“Does it hurt?” asks Chloe, worried about her friend.

Maxine, still holding tissues to her nose, nods slightly. “Kind of.”

“Something’s wrong. There’s no way Rachel would hurt you on purpose.”

“I know,” says Maxine. “I think something really bad happened after she went inside.”

“Do you think she got into a fight or something?” Chloe wonders. She lowers her voice so only Maxine can hear. “Or maybe she got in trouble. Do you think Rose found out about the-"

“Think I found out about what, now?” Rose suddenly reappears from behind, startling the girls. Chloe shakes her head and starts to stutter, but Rose chuckles. “It’s all right, I won’t ask. How’s your nose doing, Maxine?”

Maxine slowly removes the tissues from her nose and waits a moment. She gives a tiny, careful sniff, but it doesn’t feel like there’s any more blood. “I think it stopped.”

“Why don’t you go into the bathroom and clean up?” Rose hands Maxine a t-shirt that the girls recognize as one of Rachel’s. “When you’re done, give me your shirt. I’ll try to get those stains out.”

Looking down at her own shirt, Maxine sees the reddish-brown splotches that have already started to dry and set into the fabric. Her stomach churns at the sight and she gratefully accepts the change of clothes. In the downstairs bathroom, Maxine rinses herself off and gets changed. She comes back out blood-free and looking as good as new. She hands Rose her soiled top with a shy __thank you. __

“No problem, dear,” says Rose, taking the shirt. “Girls, could you go upstairs and see how Rachel’s doing? I don’t think she’ll want to talk to me or her father just yet, but she might appreciate having you two there with her.”

Chloe and Maxine nod. Even if Rose hadn’t asked them, checking up on their friend was already next on their list of things to do.

“What happened?” asks Chloe.

“Do you girls remember Sera, her mother? Sera was supposed to be at the party today, but she ended up not being able to come. Rachel’s… understandably upset.” Rose gives a sad smile. “Anyway, you girls go on ahead. I’ll be up in a bit to check on her.”

Chloe and Maxine climb up to the second floor and stop in front of Rachel’s room. Chloe knocks, then opens the door a few inches and sticks her head inside. Rachel is lying on the bed facing the opposite wall. “Rachel?” Chloe pauses for an answer but she doesn’t get one. “It’s just me and Maxine. We’re coming in.”

Walking into the room, Chloe glances around. The closet looks overturned and Rachel’s belongings are strewn all over the floor. A few drawers are open, their contents messily tossed about as well. “Hey, are you okay?” When Chloe is once again met with silence, she turns to Maxine only to find her still in the hallway, clinging to the door frame. Chloe gestures for Maxine to hurry up and come inside. After a moment of hesitation, Maxine runs on her tiptoes to catch up to Chloe, who climbs onto the bed next to Rachel. Maxine perches lightly on the very edge of the mattress. 

“Rose told us about your mom,” Chloe says. “That hella sucks…”

Silence.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

More silence.

Rachel still hasn’t moved, nor given any indication that she’s even aware of Chloe and Maxine’s presence. So Chloe makes herself comfortable and motions for Maxine to do the same. “Well, it’s okay if you don’t. We’ll stay here to keep you company. Right, Maxine?”

Maxine finds her voice. “Yeah, it’s not a party without you.”

“Rach, you should’ve seen Maxine earlier. You clocked her in the face __good __and her nose was, like, gushing blood-”

“Chloe!” Maxine swats her friend on the arm.

To their surprise, Rachel rolls over, pushing herself into a sitting position.

And she speaks!

“Oh my god, really?”

Chloe and Maxine and relieved to hear Rachel’s voice again, even if it sounds tired and scratchy. They take a good look at their friend’s face for the first time since before the cake catastrophe. Although Rachel’s eyes are dry now, there are shiny tear streaks down her cheeks and it’s obvious that she had been crying. 

Maxine’s tone goes soft. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“Sorry. I totally didn’t mean to.”

“It’s okay!” Maxine gives Rachel a small smile. “We’re, um… more worried about you.”

“Oh.”

“If you wanna tell us what happened, we’re here to listen,” Chloe repeats.

“Okay, okay, __fine,__” Rachel sighs, scooting backwards until she’s against her headboard. Chloe and Maxine are watching her intently, waiting for her to talk. Normally, Rachel loves being the center of attention, but this is a sensitive topic and her friends’ gazes are making her uncomfortable. Keeping her eyes down, Rachel hugs her knees to her chest in attempt to feel less vulnerable. “My mom called.”

As soon as Rachel mentions her mother, her voice breaks and her tears start anew. Chloe moves right beside her and puts an arm around her shoulders. Even Maxine ventures to a new spot on the bed closer to her friends. Neither of them speak. They just let Rachel vent.

“She said she’s too busy to come to my party... even though she promised!” Rachel’s voice is thick with emotion. “It’s not fair! Why did Dad have to make us move so far away? I hate it here! Now I __never__ get to see her!”

“But she still texts you, like, every day, right?” Chloe tries to cheer Rachel up. “That’s pretty cool.”

“And you talk to her on the phone,” Maxine adds.

But Rachel snuffles and shakes her head, letting out a quivery, shuddery sob. “It’s not the same!”

There’s a knock on the door, and all three girls turn to see Rose standing in the doorway. “Rachel, honey, can I come in?” Taking her stepdaughter’s lack of a response as a __yes, __Rose walks around to the other side of the bed and takes a seat. “I know you’re disappointed. Your father and I were looking forward to seeing Sera today too. It’s completely normal to feel sad.”

“I’m __not __sad!” Rachel glares in Rose’s direction. “I’m mad! She cares about work more than me!”

“Oh, Rachel, you __know__ that’s not true.”

Rachel scoffs. “Well, she’s not here, is she?”

“Honey, come here,” Rose says gently, opening her arms towards Rachel. The girl tries to keep up her tough front, staring hard at her stepmother for a few moments, but Rose waits patiently, looking at her with eyes full nothing but love. Sure enough, Rachel’s defenses crumble and she surrenders, breaking away from Chloe and falling forward into the embrace. Rose’s hugs are always warm and comforting. Her anger melts away, leaving just the hurt behind.

Rose was right.

She __is__ disappointed.

For as long as Rachel can remember, Sera has always been there on her birthday. She’s been at every birthday party and every special birthday dinner at Rachel’s favorite restaurant. There’s plenty of photographic proof in the photo albums Rose has compiled over the years. Rachel has so many special memories celebrating her birthday with her mom. On her ninth birthday, Sera surprised her by showing up at her theater camp with birthday treats to share with the other campers. When Rachel turned five, she had a really bad cold and wasn’t able to leave the house, but Sera came over with a box of cake mix and a tub of frosting and they made a birthday cake together. She even got to lick the batter off the spoon!

But this was __before__ they moved to Oregon. When the Ambers still lived in California, Sera was only a fifteen minute car ride away. Rachel saw her mom all the time.

And everyone knows that it’s impossible to get from Long Beach to Arcadia Bay in fifteen minutes.

Rachel thinks about her mom and wonders how many more birthdays she might miss now that they’re a thousand miles apart.

Rose was right.

She __is __sad.

And so Rachel cries for what feels like several minutes, or days, or years, or maybe an eternity. Rose just holds her tightly and rubs soothing patterns onto her back until she gets all her feelings out and has no tears left. There’s still a smidge of sad left, the kind that will only fade with time, but, compared to how miserable she was earlier, the birthday girl is feeling a whole lot better now. Taking a deep breath, Rachel pulls away and looks up at Rose, ready to confess the truth that she’s been keeping inside all day. “I just really, really miss her…”

“I know, I know…” says Rose, brushing the remnants of Rachel’s tears away with her fingers. “And I know she misses you. But she loves you with all her heart. So do I.” Rose leans down and kisses the top of her stepdaughter’s head. “So does Daddy. And Chloe and Maxine.”

Rachel looks over her shoulder at her friends, who nod their heads enthusiastically. Chloe puts her hands over her heart and playfully bats her eyes at her before erupting into laughter. Maxine watches, shaking her head at Chloe’s antics, but then she turns to Rachel and gives her a sweet smile.

Her friends are such dorks. Rachel can’t help but let out a tiny giggle.

“Are you feeling better now?” asks Maxine.

Rachel shrugs. “A little.”

“See, Rachel? Right now there’s a house full of people who care about you and want to celebrate your big day with you,” Rose continues. “What do you say? Will you come back downstairs and join us?”

Chloe clasps her hands together and makes exaggerated puppy dog eyes. “Pleeease?”

“You’re so weird.” Rachel lightly shoves her backwards, laughing. “Fine, let’s go.”

“Yes!” Chloe pumps her fist in the air and runs for the door, calling to her friends to follow. “Come on, slowpokes, let’s see if there’s any cake left!”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re coming!” Sliding off her bed, Rachel turns to Maxine and holds out a hand. As much as she loves Chloe and her silly antics, Rachel’s really glad that she also has a friend like Maxine. Maxine’s quiet, but not too quiet. Perfect quiet. There’s something about being with her that brings Rachel comfort, and that’s exactly what she needs right now. “Sit next to me, okay?”

Excited to have Rachel back, Maxine happily takes her hand. “Let’s go before Chloe eats it all.”

The girls head downstairs and find Chloe sitting at the kitchen counter, shoveling cake into her mouth. There are two slices already waiting for them, forks, napkins and all. Rachel takes a serving and sits next to Chloe, waving Maxine over to the seat on her other side. But before either of them can take a bite, a couple of Rachel’s classmates burst inside the house, shrieking excitedly at the sight of the birthday girl.

“Rachel! There you are!” exclaims one of the girls. “You have to come outside! We just started a new round of spin the bottle truth or dare and, like, the whole class is playing!”

Maxine furrows her brows in confusion. “Spin the bottle truth or dare?”

“Me and Juliet are gonna try and find out if __Justin__ has a crush on someone,” the other girl says in a teasing tone, eyes sparkling mischievously. 

“Dana!” Cheeks turning a faint shade of pink, Rachel pretends to kick her. This only causes Dana to squeal again. “Not so loud.”

“Leave us alone. We’re trying to eat,” Chloe mumbles through a mouthful of cake. Rachel raises an eyebrow. Her friend suddenly sounds grumpy, but she shrugs it off.

“Chloe, Maxine, you guys have to play too!” Juliet insists. “Come on, just bring your cake with you!”

Rachel is on the fence. While she would very much love to stay in the house and finish her birthday cake, this game does sound kind of interesting. Imagine all the juicy gossip. This might be her chance to find out all sorts of things about her classmates. And, well… Rachel does kind of want to know if there’s somebody Justin likes. She looks to her left. Chloe makes a grossed-out face and signals a thumbs down. She looks to her right. Maxine only gives her a vague sort of smile.

Neither of which are very helpful.

Curling her lips into a pout, Rachel turns back to her cake. “I don’t know.”

Dana tugs on Rachel’s arm. “Come on! It’ll be awesome, I promise!”

“Oh my god, look!”

Suddenly, Juliet’s shouting and pointing at something outside. Rachel looks out the sliding glass doors just in time to catch one of the boys doing a backwards flip into the pool. Fully-clothed. The corners of her mouth curl upwards ever so slightly. This party could still turn out to be fun.

Maybe one little game won’t hurt. Of course, she still has to convince her friends to join her. Maxine won’t be a problem, it’s Chloe who will be more of a challenge. Rachel isn’t really worried, though. All she needs to do is play the birthday card and there’s no way Chloe can say no.

And even if she does, Rachel has a few more tricks up her sleeve.

She __is__ a skilled little actress, after all.


	2. The Arcade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * In this alternate universe, Rachel refers to her stepmother by her first name, Rose. Sera Gearhardt, her biological mother, is "Mom" and (unlike canon) has always been part of Rachel's life.

Spin the bottle truth or dare turned out to be awesome, just like Dana said. Nobody was brave enough to choose truth, so the game just ended up being Rachel and her classmates daring each other to do dumb, embarrassing things while everyone else watched and laughed, but that in itself was perfect for lifting Rachel’s spirits. After three more kids ended up either jumping willingly or being pushed into the pool with their clothes on, Rose came outside to reprimand them. She raised her voice and forbade anybody else from entering the pool because four o’clock was approaching, the party would be over soon, and she doesn’t need anyone’s parents complaining when she returns them a soaking wet child. Despite the seriousness of Rose’s tone, Rachel has to slap a hand across her mouth to stifle her laughter, finding it absolutely hilarious to watch her stepmother scold her friends instead of her.

The game died pretty quickly after that. Getting in trouble with a parent seemed to put a damper on the fun, and some of the parents had started to arrive to pick up their kids anyway. Rachel, Maxine and Chloe return inside and hang out in the hallway, Maxine on front door duty and Chloe handing out goodie bags as the party guests leave. As both the birthday girl and a parent favorite, Rachel is on the receiving end of tons of hugs and birthday wishes from the adults. Rachel preens and basks in the extra attention, all smiles as she thanks everyone for coming. 

At around four thirty, the last guest leaves. Rose shuts the door behind them and exhales a long, weary breath, thankful that the most stressful part of the party is over. Now until tomorrow morning, it’s just going to be Rachel, Maxine and Chloe. Rachel’s had her two best friends sleep over several times already and they haven’t run into any major problems yet. Maxine is such a sweetheart, and Chloe… 

Well, she can handle Chloe. 

“Rachel, honey, are you still up for tonight as planned?” Rose just wants to make sure. 

“Yeah!” Rachel is in the living room, popping the mix CD labeled “Rachel’s Party Jamz” she got from Chloe into the stereo. “When are we leaving?”

“Probably in about an hour. I’m going to clean up a bit first,” says Rose, looking around at the huge mess Rachel’s classmates left behind. She starts clearing paper cups and paper plates from various pieces of furniture. “You three can relax until it’s time to go. No more snacks, though. I’d like you to save your appetites for dinner.”

“Okay!” Rachel sits down on the floor next to her pile of presents. “I can open these now, right?”

“Go ahead.”

Rachel and Chloe cheer and turn their attention to the stack of colorfully wrapped packages and gift bags in the corner of the room. Instead of joining them, Maxine wordlessly wanders out into the kitchen, where Rose is grabbing a trash bag from underneath the sink. The young girl accidentally startles the woman, who stands back up only to find Maxine suddenly standing right in front of her. 

“Oh, Maxine! Sorry, I didn’t see you there. Did you need something?”

“Can I help you clean up?”

Rose’s heart swells. “That’s very sweet of you. I think Rachel’s about to open her presents, though. Wouldn’t you rather watch?”

Maxine shakes her head. “It’s okay. She can show me later.”

Chloe pokes her head over the living room bookshelves. “Goodie-two-shoes Maxine Caulfield strikes again!” 

With Maxine’s assistance, Rose finishes the party cleanup in half the time it would’ve taken her alone. She rinses the soap suds off the very last platter and hands it to Maxine, who is ready with a clean towel. Rose peels off her rubber gloves and drapes them over the edge of the sink, then takes the freshly dried platter from Maxine. “Thanks again for all your help, dear. I think we’re all done.”

Rachel comes running into the kitchen carrying a handful of gift cards. “Rose, look! I got fifty dollars to use at the smoothie place!”

“Let’s open Maxine’s present now!” Chloe waves both of her friends over. “Maxine, get your butt over here. We saved yours for last!”

Maxine was hoping that Rachel would open her gift while she was out in the kitchen with Rose so she wouldn’t have to watch. Instead, Rachel has grabbed her hand and she’s being pulled right back over to the big purple gift bag that she was relieved to get rid of earlier. At birthday parties, Maxine always dreads present time. She doesn’t like when everyone turns to look at her after the birthday kid announces that the next one’s from her, and she always worries that they’re going to hate her gift. 

Today should be fine because it’s only Rachel and Chloe here and they’re her friends, but Maxine’s still feeling kind of embarrassed. She just hopes that Rachel doesn’t think her gift is lame. Maxine stands awkwardly next to Chloe as Rachel reaches into the bag, ripping out fistfuls of pink tissue paper and plucks out a small lavender envelope. Maxine quietly hopes that Rachel doesn’t open her birthday card right then and there, or worse, read it out loud in front of her. 

Last weekend, Vanessa Caulfield came home from the store with a blank birthday card and told her daughter that it would be nice if she wrote her own message for Rachel. Following her mother’s instructions, Maxine ended up spending nearly an hour of her Sunday morning coming up with a message on a sheet of scratch paper, copying it in pencil into the card, and then tracing over it in pen in neat, careful cursive. 

The message ended up being longer than Maxine expected. Now that Rachel’s actually reading it, every second that ticks by makes it seem even longer. Maxine stands there, rubbing her elbow anxiously and watching hazel eyes move left and right across the card. 

Rachel’s lips curl into a smile as she gets to the latter half of her friend’s handwritten message. By the time she reaches the end and looks over at Maxine again, she’s positively beaming. “Thanks, Maxine. That was really sweet.”

“I wanna see!” Chloe’s hand shoots out and makes a grab for the card. 

Maxine’s heart nearly stops. 

But Rachel swiftly moves it out of Chloe’s reach and uses her other arm to nudge her away. “Never mind. Let’s see what’s in this baby!” Rachel picks up the gift bag, waves it in front of Chloe’s face, then drops it in her lap. 

Chloe looks down and grins, instantly forgetting about Maxine’s card. “Yeah! Maxine always gives the best presents. This one’s gonna be good.”

While Chloe’s distracted, Rachel sweeps the card under the pile of other birthday cards on the coffee table and out of sight. She meets eyes with Maxine one more time, flashing her another bright smile and a wink before turning her attention back to her last present of the day.

Maxine lets out a relieved sigh, heart swelling with appreciation for how Rachel always just seems to _know_ how she’s feeling without her even saying anything. There have been times when Maxine has been almost convinced that Rachel can read her mind. That, or she’s just really, really good at guessing things about people. 

Over the next few seconds, Maxine’s birthday gift for Rachel is unveiled at last. Rachel reaches into the gift bag and pulls out a pale yellow, star-shaped pillow. Across the front is the word _dreamer_ in curvy, white script with glittery, golden threads woven into each letter. 

“Oh my god, it’s so cute!” squeals Rachel. She hugs it to her chest and nuzzles her face into the soft, plushy fabric. “And it’s _perfect_ for my room!” 

Finished with most of the party cleanup, Rose comes over and takes a seat in a nearby chair. She eyes the small mountain of gift wrap, tissue paper and ribbons accumulating near the fireplace. “How’s everything going over here, girls?”

“Rose! Look what Maxine got me!”

While Rachel excitedly shows off her new pillow, Maxine takes a starts to relax. Rachel likes her present after all. The pile of gifts nearby catches her eye and she takes a curious peek. There are books, board games and card games, a fuzzy purple diary with a matching pen, lots of bracelets, a few lip gloss sets and even a faux fur handbag that she’s pretty sure is from Juliet, who was carrying a similar one when she arrived. Maxine recognizes Chloe’s gift right away. They picked it out together last week during a Price family shopping trip – according to William, Maxine is an honorary family member – to the local mall. After much meandering in and out of several stores looking for something for Rachel, they finally found _the _gift during a short detour to Chloe’s favorite shop.

Sitting right on the top shelf in the middle of the science and discovery section was a set of bath confetti shaped like stars, hearts and diamonds. Six different colors, six different scents. Maxine and Chloe both know that for the past couple of weeks, their friend has been all about fizzy bath bombs and sweet-smelling lotions, so this would be right up her alley. But the best part, the very reason why Chloe was drawn to it in the first place, was the _awesome_ packaging. The soap flakes are stored in little scientific test tubes, all lined up in their very own test tube rack. 

An ideal gift for Rachel with a Chloe-esque flair. 

“Hey.” 

There’s a tap on her shoulder, and Maxine turns to come face to face with Chloe, who has two ribbons stuck to her forehead and a smaller one on the tip of her nose. She looks ridiculous. Maxine dissolves into a fit of laughter and gives Chloe a gentle, playful shove. “You’re such a dork.”

Chloe gives a cheeky grin and bows deeply, causing one of the ribbons to fall into her lap. “Thank you very much.”

Rose guides Rachel back over to her friends with a hand on her back. “Girls, I’m going to go freshen up a bit, but let’s be ready to leave in about ten minutes or so, okay?”

“Okay!”

Next up on Rachel’s birthday schedule is dinner and an evening of games at the big arcade downtown, and neither Maxine nor Chloe have ever been there before. Maxine’s parents are not big fans of “loud, unsophisticated establishments” such as arcades, and when Joyce and William take them out, they tend to stick to local places around the neighborhood. _The Bay _is the most popular center of entertainment in all of Arcadia Bay for older kids, teens and adults. No colorful ball pits, no carousels playing nursery rhymes, and not a single singing anthropomorphic animal in sight. Just a vast array of bleeping, blooping machines as far as the eye can see.

All of this, along with the promise of all-you-can-eat pizza and a huge cup of game tokens courtesy of James Amber, has the girls absolutely stoked for their fun night ahead. 

James and Rose lead the girls to a spacious booth in the corner of the restaurant section. It has a clear view of the arcade, perfect for when they will need to keep an eye on Rachel and her friends later on. As expected, the girls quickly shovel down their pizza and are begging to be excused from the table before Rose even finishes her first slice. James gives them their tokens and tells them that he will be coming around every so often to check up on them. With one last warning from Rose tohave fun but _be careful_, the girls disappear into the sea of beeps, whirs and hypnotizing lights. 

Most visitors to _The Bay _see its wide selection of arcade games as a place to let loose, play around and have fun. 

Rachel Amber sees a battlefield.

This is her chance to challenge her friends to some friendly competition.

For the first hour, Rachel marches around the arcade leading Chloe and Maxine around to different games. The birthday girl effortlessly places first during every race, dances the highest combos, and shoots down the most monsters. Victory after victory sends Rachel into a winner’s high and, before long, there’s a smug bounce in her step as she looks around for more games to win.

Just when Rachel thinks that she’s won every possible multiplayer game in the room, she spots one that she and her friends haven’t been to yet. Grinning excitedly, Rachel points to the lone table nearly hidden behind some of the bigger, more visually appealing machines. “Let’s play that next!”

Chloe and Maxine follow her finger and find an air hockey table. They look at each other and share a smile.

Rachel’s already standing on one side of the table, picking up one of the strikers. “So, who wants to go against me? Chloe?”

Chloe tries her hardest to act casual and keep a straight face. “Actually, Rach, why don’t you play with Maxine?” 

“Oh, okay,” says Rachel, shrugging. She waves her younger friend over. “Come play with me, Maxine!”

Rachel shoves two of her tokens into the coin slot on the side of the machine and the table comes to life. The overhead scoreboard starts glowing and cool air starts to blow from the tiny holes on the table’s surface. There’s a rattle and a _clang! _as the machine ejects a neon green puck into the pocket on Rachel’s side. 

Rachel waits for Maxine to pick up the other striker before she places the puck on the table. “Ready?”

“Ready,” replies Maxine, her free hand moving to hold the edge of the table.

Lightly tapping the puck, Rachel sends it over to Maxine. She watches her opponent carefully, gauging her ability. With a smooth swipe forward, Maxine returns the puck with quite a bit of force. It shoots back across the table so quickly that Rachel just barely manages to stop it from entering her goal. 

“Whoa,” exclaims Rachel, quickly straightening up as she realizes that this is going to be a serious match. Maxine has lagged behind her and Chloe in pretty much every game they’ve played so far, so she wasn’t expecting her to be this… this _good_. Although Rachel was able to react quickly enough to block Maxine’s shot, it took her by so much surprise that blocking it was all she did. The puck merely bounces off her striker and lazily floats back across the table.

_Clack! _

The game has barely begun, but Maxine sends the puck soaring past Rachel’s hand and into the goal.

Maxine, one. Rachel, zero. 

Chloe jumps up and down and cheers. 

Rachel is _speechless_. 

That first goal happened so quickly and so unexpectedly that Rachel is still trying to process what happened. With her mouth hanging open slightly, she looks across the table at Maxine, who’s smiling sheepishly at her. Rachel’s going to have to keep on her toes for this match. She takes a moment to stretch her arms and roll her shoulders before she reaches below her to retrieve the puck. 

The match continues, and Rachel tries every approach to try and throw Maxine off: surprise quick shots, bouncing the puck against the walls, even attempting to distract her with conversation. But no matter what she does, Maxine’s reflexes are as sharp as ever. 

The score is now six to one, with Maxine in the lead. When Rachel managed to score her first point, she was only two points behind. This gave her some hope and, for a brief moment, she felt as though she still had a chance to catch up and turn the game around. Her optimism changed into a sense of impending doom, however, when Maxine proceeded to score three more back-to-back points. 

And now Maxine only needs to score one more time to win. 

Beads of sweat shine on Rachel’s forehead, and on her face is a fierce look of sheer concentration. No matter what, she can’t let Maxine get another point, or else… or else she _loses. _She has to watch Maxine’s movements like a hawk. Pausing first to wipe her sweaty palm on her shorts, Rachel takes a deep breath, grips her striker tightly, and tries to decide on her next move. Should she attack from the left or from the right? Rachel wonders if Maxine has a weak side. She spends several seconds wracking her brain to try and remember which half of the goal she hit the puck into when she scored. Maybe if she can do exactly the same thing…

“Hurry up, Rachel!” shouts Chloe, impatiently. “We’re not getting any younger over here!”

Rachel glares at her and slams the puck onto the table. “Okay, okay!”

If Rachel doesn’t keep Maxine from scoring again, that’s it. Game over. She moves the puck over a few inches to the left, but decides to aim to the right. Rachel hits the puck as hard as she can and it bounces off the side of the table. Unsurprisingly, Maxine swings at just the right timing and hits it back to Rachel, who moves her hand accordingly and sends it back to Maxine. 

Chloe watches the rally between her friends intently, eyes moving back and forth with the hockey puck. It’s not that Rachel’s bad at air hockey. Not at all. Chloe’s played against Rachel before at the mini arcade at their neighborhood pizza parlor, and Rachel’s beaten her loads of times. But Maxine is _crazy _good. In all the years that they have been best friends, Chloe has never been able to win against Maxine at air hockey, not even once. Even her dad, William, has played against her before, but not even he could prove to be any match for Maxine Caulfield. 

All of a sudden, Maxine gives a hard swing and the puck flies straight toward Rachel. 

Out of pure reflex and desperation, Rachel’s free hand shoots forward and slams the oncoming puck flat against the table, stopping it right before it enters her goal.

Chloe’s eyes widen and she leaps up, pointing. “Hey! That’s cheating!”

“I-I know!” Rachel’s flustered. She didn’t mean to do that… it just happened. “Sorry Maxine. Can we redo that one?” Rachel swipes the puck back across the table with her hand. 

Maxine nods, bringing her striker down to catch it. “Tell me when you’re ready.”

“No hands, Rachel,” Chloe teases. Her friend makes a face and sticks out her tongue in response.

Rachel tucks her hair behind her ears and readjusts her grip on her striker. “Okay, go.”

Maxine lightly taps the puck over to Rachel, but Rachel is so worked up that she swipes at it with such force that she misses, barely grazing its edge. It spins and veers off horizontally to the right, bumping the side of the table and slowly floating back. Rachel grits her teeth and swings again, knocking the puck across the table as hard as she can. It bounces wildly back and forth between the walls of the table, but Maxine watches closely and is able to block it. She strikes it against the wall just like Rachel did, but at an angle that makes it rebound and sail right towards the goal. 

“Don’t-!” Rachel sweeps her hand in front of her and swings blindly. By some miracle, she stops the puck just in time and manages to hit it back to Maxine.

The puck glides back across the table, and Rachel watches it go. She almost can’t believe she blocked that shot. For a second there, she thought she was a goner-

_Crack! _

With a sharp flick, Maxine smacks the puck straight across the table. It flies right past Rachel’s hand and into the goal. Sirens go off, signaling the end of the game, and the scoreboard flashes the final score: seven to one. 

“Yes!” Chloe pumps her fist in the air and goes over to congratulate Maxine with a high five. “Maxine, undefeated air hockey champion!”

Rachel stands at the other end of the table, seemingly in shock. She’s still holding the striker. As it slowly sinks in that she lost the game, Rachel’s brows furrow and her lips turn down in a pout. 

Rachel Amber is not a graceful loser.

As she looks at Maxine, though, Rachel realizes that she doesn’t have it in her to get mad. Maxine isn’t laughing at her or rubbing it in her face like Chloe probably would have. 

But Rachel is _definitely_ over air hockey. 

Abandoning her striker, Rachel turns her back to the game and walks away, motioning for Chloe and Maxine to follow her. “Let’s do something else.”

The girls spend the evening hard at play, only occasionally coming back to the table where Rose and James are sitting to chug soda or take a few more bites of pizza. Eventually, Rachel and Chloe break out into a battle to see who can win the most tickets. Maxine tags along for a while but, as the night goes on, starts to find it hard to keep up with her overzealously competitive friends. In the end, Maxine announces that she’s going to take a break and relinquishes all of her tickets to Rachel as a birthday gift, which earns her an elated smile from the birthday girl… and some grumbling from Chloe. 

It’s about half past seven when Maxine returns to the table alone, looking absolutely exhausted. 

“Having fun?” asks Rose, welcoming Maxine back with a warm smile. The girl nods and gives a tiny smile in return, but Rose can tell that she certainly needs a breather. She pats the space beside her. “Have a seat, dear. It’s almost time to head home anyway.”

Knowing Maxine isn’t much of a talker, Rose reaches into her purse and pulls out her digital camera to show her some party pictures from that afternoon. Maxine looks at them with interest and warms up to Rose quickly. There are tons of photos of Rachel and her classmates, some taken inside and some outside by the pool, and Maxine giggles when Rose flips to one photo in particular. It’s one of her, Chloe and Rachel standing together by the edge of the pool, dripping wet, having paused to pose for the camera just before jumping back in. Maxine and Rachel are both smiling, and Rachel’s even throwing in double peace signs, but Chloe has her hands covering her chest and crotch, mouth shaped like an _O _and pretending to be shocked as though Rose just walked in on her taking a shower. 

Rose comes to a few blurry shots of Rachel’s birthday cake and she shakes her head. She flips past those quickly, apologizing and sounding slightly embarrassed as she explains that the camera just wouldn’t cooperate when she tried to take some closeups.

Maxine identifies the problem immediately. “You should change the settings.” 

“I’m sorry?” Rose sounds a little lost.

“On the camera,” Maxine explains. “For closeups. If you change it to macro mode, you should get a clear shot.”

The woman chuckles, now remembering that Maxine is an aspiring photographer. “I don’t know much about cameras. Could you show me?”

Maxine’s eyes seem to sparkle as Rose hands her the camera. “Sure.” 

Rose watches in fascination as Maxine’s little fingers press several buttons and navigate through various menus that pop up on the screen. Her face lights up when she finds what she was looking for. Holding the camera out so that Rose can see, Maxine points to one of the buttons near the top of the camera. “If you press this, you can change the focus settings. For really close closeups, you’ll want the one with the flower symbol.” 

“I see,” says Rose. “And then I can just take a photo normally?”

“Yeah,” Maxine replies. She moves the camera to the side and snaps a quick photo of the bottom of Rose’s glass of ice water. “See?”

When Rose leans in to look at the photo Maxine took, she’s completely blown away. The tiny drops of condensation on the outside of the glass are in perfect focus, so clear that they almost look like crystals. “Wow, honey, that’s amazing.”

Maxine returns the camera to Rose. “To go back to normal mode, just press the same button until the flower goes away.” 

Rose presses the button once and the flower icon turns into something triangular. “What does this one mean?”

“Those are mountains. That’s if you want to take a picture of something really far away.”

Rose hums and nods, thoroughly impressed with Maxine’s camera knowledge. She presses the same button again and, just like Maxine promised, the icons disappear. “Thank you, Maxine. This is very helpful.”

“Rachel, slow down!”

Both Rose and Maxine turn their heads toward the familiar voice. Rachel and Chloe are back, but something’s very wrong. Rachel comes storming over, clearly furious, and wordlessly plops herself in the seat across from them. She forcefully slams her plastic cup of tickets onto the table, making Maxine jump. Rose takes one look at Rachel and knows it’s probably time to head home. 

Chloe catches up and slides into the booth next to Rachel. “I _told_ you not to play it anymore.”

Rose isn’t sure whether she should press further, or if she should take a different approach and try to take Rachel’s mind off of… whatever this is about. She ends up not needing to make that decision, however, because Maxine brings it up first. 

“What happened?”

Rachel is too upset to answer, so Chloe does. “She wasted all of her tokens on a dumb prize game.”

“It’s not fair!” Rachel sounds close to tears. “The stupid machine’s rigged!”

“Oh dear…” sighs Rose. _Distract and divert. _“Honey, it’s okay. You know what? It’s about time for us to leave anyway. You, Chloe and Maxine still get to trade in your tickets for prizes, right?” 

“Maxine gave me her tickets,” Rachel tells her, pulling the collar of her shirt up to wipe her eyes. 

“She did? Oh, that was very sweet of her, wasn’t it?” 

Rachel nods. “And Chloe let me have some of her tokens.”

“You’re lucky to have such caring friends.” Rose starts to pack up her things, and the girls follow suit. “Let’s exchange those tickets and head home. Don’t forget, you girls still have ice cream and a movie waiting for you.”

“Where’s Dad?” asks Rachel, suddenly noticing that her father is missing.

Shaking her head, Rose laughs softly. “Would you believe that he’s been at that silly horse racing game for the past hour? I’ll tell him it’s time to go. We’ll meet you girls by the prizes.”

While Rachel, Chloe and Maxine scurry off to redeem their tickets, Rose goes to search for her husband. The last time she had seen him, he and a few others were crouched over the large metal race track in the corner of the arcade, placing bets on which mechanical horse would come in first place. Rose arrives at the horse racing game but, to her confusion, the stool where James was sitting earlier is now empty. She stands there for a moment, scanning the premises, but Rachel’s father is nowhere to be found.

Rose tuts under her breath, then fumbles through her handbag for her cell phone. No missed calls. Flipping her phone open with her thumb, Rose holds down the ‘3’ key and speed dials James’ cell number. It rings… and rings… and rings. Sighing, Rose shuts her phone and decides to head back to the table to see if James is there. Perhaps he had gone to the restroom, or on another round to check up on the girls…

“Rose!”

The woman turns, and there’s James, coming back inside through the front doors, cell phone in hand and waving wildly to get her attention. Rose waits with a hand on her hip, ready to ask him where he had run off to all of a sudden, but the words die on her tongue as James comes closer and she sees the troubled expression on his face. Her mild annoyance is replaced with worry. “What is it?”

James shakes his head slightly and rests his free hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Rose, I just got off the phone with Sera.”

Rose raises an eyebrow. “Did something happen?”

“She’s at the airport. She’s coming over tonight after all.”


	3. The Sleepover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * In this alternate universe, Rachel refers to her stepmother by her first name, Rose. Sera Gearhardt, her biological mother, is "Mom" and (unlike canon) has always been part of Rachel's life.

Rachel had been so excited about her birthday party-slash-sleepover that she planned it all out weeks in advance. With Rose’s assistance, she came up with a schedule that laid out exactly what she wanted to do from beginning to end, starting with the pool party in the afternoon all the way through breakfast the following morning. If they were to follow the original plan, next up on the agenda would be to return home, make ice cream sundaes and then watch a movie before bed, but since Rachel and Chloe took such a long time choosing their prizes back at the arcade, they won’t be getting home until closer to nine. While Rose doesn’t mind if the kids stay up late tonight -- it’s Rachel’s birthday after all -- it’s been such a long day that she wonders if they’ll be too tired. She knows _she _is.

But during the whole ride home, Rachel and Chloe chatter excitedly about ice cream and what toppings they’re going to use. Even Maxine who seemed all tuckered out at the arcade appears to have some newfound energy. They arrive back at the house and Rose sends the girls upstairs to change into their pajamas while she sets up their mini ice cream bar. Opening the pantry door, Rose takes out the candy, cookies, sprinkles, cereal and marshmallows that Rachel specifically chose for tonight and sets them out on the counter. She grabs whipped cream and chocolate syrup from the fridge, then the eight pint-sized tubs of ice cream from the freezer. Yes, Rachel had somehow convinced her that she and her friends needed that many different flavors.

“Ice cream! Ice cream! Ice cream!”

Rose looks up and sees Rachel and her friends marching down the stairs, clad in their sleep clothes and chanting for dessert. She quickly grabs a few bowls and spoons for them before stepping out of the way and letting them go to town.

And they do.

It isn’t long before the countertops are littered with crumbs, runaway sprinkles and sticky drops of syrup and melted ice cream. Rachel finishes making her sundae first, then zooms into the living room to set up the movie. Rose moves a little closer to get a peek at the kids’ creations. As expected, Maxine’s is neat and carefully constructed, chocolate sprinkles evenly covering the surface of plain vanilla ice cream, and now she’s breaking up some chocolate chip cookies into bite-sized bits for the finishing touch. Chloe has already drowned her creation in chocolate syrup, and is now squirting a mountain of whipped cream on top. From the looks of it, Rose thinks that she put a little of _everything_ in there.

Rose can only hope that nobody gets sick tonight.

“Hurry up, guys!” Rachel calls from the living room. “I’m gonna start it already!”

Maxine drops the last of her cookies into her bowl before grabbing her spoon and going to join Rachel. After dumping some last minute toppings onto hers, Chloe also heads into the living room. They settle on the sofa side by side like peas in a pod, and Rachel, from her cozy spot in the middle, hits the ‘play’ button on the remote control.

“Guess what!” Rachel speaks in between bites of ice cream. “My dad rented this movie right from his computer and it came in the mail the very next day. We didn’t even have to leave the house.”

Chloe speaks with a mouthful of ice cream. “You can do that?”

“Yeah,” replies Rachel, matter-of-factly. There’s a slightly boastful tone to her voice and she sits up a little straighter, eager to be the one to bestow her knowledge of online DVD rentals to her friends. “From a website on the internet. He let me get three other ones, too.” Sure enough, there’s a small stack of movies on the coffee table. Rachel leans forward and grabs the one at the very top of the pile to show Chloe and Maxine. “This one was _hella_ funny.”

“Rachel.”

It’s a warning from the next room.

Rose isn’t listening to the girls’ conversation on purpose. She had been minding her own business, putting away ice cream and toppings, but her stepdaughter’s voice is one sound that her ears can pick up on from a mile away. That, and also the fact that the living room is right next to the kitchen and any dialogue spoken in there can be heard loud and clear.

“It was super funny,” Rachel says again, changing the offending word to one that her stepmother approves. “Me and Rose watched it together last night.”

Putting the cap back on another tub of ice cream and tossing one more sticky spoon into the sink, Rose thinks about last night and smiles. It was her first movie night with Rachel in a long, long time. Their first since moving to Arcadia Bay. Ever since Rachel started middle school, she’s been devoting a lot more time to schoolwork and extracurriculars. Her schedule is busier, she’s away from home a lot more, and Rose doesn’t get to see her as often. Even when Rachel has a free day, more often than not she ends up wanting to hang out with her friends. And recently…

Recently, even when Rachel’s at home, she’s been spending a lot more time up in her bedroom, content to entertain herself with a book or one of her many electronic gadgets. And while Rose appreciates having a little more time to herself now that Rachel’s older and doesn’t demand so much attention, there’s a part of her that kind of misses the old days.

Rose can’t pinpoint exactly when each of these little things stopped, but Rachel never holds her hand while they’re out in public anymore. She no longer comes into her and James’ bedroom in the early mornings for extra cuddles and sleepy pillow chats before they start the day. These days, she doesn’t ask for hugs or kisses at all. Of course, Rose still gives them whenever Rachel will accept them, but it certainly hasn’t been easy to adapt to these changes.

And sure, Rose understands. Rachel’s growing up. There’s only one more year before she’s a teenager, after all. Over the years, Rachel has blossomed into a headstrong, ambitious, incredibly talented individual and Rose couldn’t be more proud. As her stepdaughter becomes more and more independent every day, Rose notices that she doesn’t quite need her as much anymore. Well, deep down, Rose knows that Rachel will always need her… just maybe not in the same ways as she did when she was younger.

It’s bittersweet and, admittedly, a little lonely sometimes, but that’s just life.

Rose is still working on accepting it.

_\----------_ _  
_

It’s the evening before Rachel’s birthday, and everything’s ready for the party tomorrow. Presents have been bought and wrapped. The kitchen cabinets are loaded with party snacks. Rose is planning to put up some birthday decorations after Rachel goes to sleep, and James will pick up the cake and balloons in the morning.

The house is quiet. James is downstairs in his office, catching up on some work, and Rachel is up in her room. Rose decides to use this unexpected free time to get a head start on some of the weekend’s household chores.

Just as Rose is about to toss in a load of laundry, Rachel comes out of her bedroom looking for her.

“Rose?”

When Rose looks up, Rachel is standing in the doorway, headphones resting around her neck and holding her portable DVD player. Assuming that there’s only one reason Rachel has come to find her, Rose turns her attention back to her laundry basket and starts tossing clothes into the washer. “There are more batteries in Daddy’s office, honey.”

“Huh?” Rachel is momentarily confused. “No, I was gonna ask if you wanted to watch a movie with me.”

“A movie?” The words echo from Rose’s lips as though she didn’t actually hear them and she might have just imagined them. Her hand, holding a fistful of Rachel’s t-shirts, stops inches from the opening of the washing machine and they fall back onto the laundry heap. “Now? Right now?”

“Yeah,” says Rachel, picking up on Rose’s weird behavior. “Or, like, do you have stuff to do?”

“Oh, no, no!” The laundry can wait until morning. “I’d love to watch a movie with you, honey. Let me just…” Rose stands and straightens out her skirt, then quickly scans the laundry room to make sure she isn’t forgetting anything important. She won’t be back until tomorrow. “Okay. Yes. Would you like me to-” Her stepdaughter is giving her a strange look. Rose takes a deep breath, trying to suppress her elation and tries again. Heaven forbid she freak Rachel out and make her change her mind about the movie. “I’ll make some popcorn.”

A happy smile appears on Rachel’s face. “Cool! I’ll get blankets and pillows!” She closes the lid of her DVD player and zips down the hall.

It’s been about ten years since Rose moved in with James and, at the time, a very tiny, baby Rachel. Rose quit her job to become her new stepdaughter’s primary caretaker and only went back to work again when Rachel started school. After that, up until they moved to Arcadia Bay, Rose worked part-time in the mornings and James full-time in the afternoons. James would feed Rachel breakfast and take her to school, and then they would switch once Rose returned from work around noon. From the time Rose picked Rachel up from school until the end of the day, it was usually just the two of them. James didn’t finish work until late in the evenings. Occasionally, he would have to work overtime and wouldn’t get home until after Rachel was asleep.

Their movie nights first started as a way for Rose to keep Rachel happy on nights when James wouldn’t be home to tuck her in. Rose would try to make their evening of mommy-daughter time so fun that Rachel wouldn’t miss James too much come bedtime. And it worked. The two of them would change into their PJs early, and Rose would set up the living room sofa with pillows and blankets. For the finishing touch, Rose would prepare a big bowl of popcorn for them to share. Then they would snuggle up under the blankets and watch whatever movie Rachel chose for them that night.

It never bothered Rose that her lap would end up littered with popcorn crumbs and unpopped kernels, thanks to a certain little someone who would be so mesmerized by the movie that she was oblivious to how messily she was eating. Every so often, Rachel’s head would pop up and she would peek over at Rose to see her reaction to something that happened on the screen. As soon as their eyes met, she would erupt into endearing little giggles that melted Rose’s heart. Even though Rose’s side always ended up sweaty from the tiny body curled up against her… and even though her hand would get grubby from salty, greasy fingers threading their way through her own… it was worth it. Moments like these always reminded Rose of the immense love that she has for Rachel and how lucky she feels to be her mother.

As Rachel got older, their movie nights became less frequent. There were plenty of other activities that Rachel opted to do instead -- arts and crafts, games, reading. But then Rachel started middle school and Rose went back to work full-time, and they kind of just stopped altogether. 

But tonight, Rose’s heart swells at the thought of getting to spend the evening with Rachel again. As she throws in a bag of microwave popcorn, Rose actually starts to tear up a little bit, but she bites back her emotions and dries her eyes before Rachel comes downstairs. After a few minutes, as Rose is transferring the popcorn from its oily bag into a bowl, Rachel reappears, now clad in a tank top and pajama bottoms. She comes down the stairs, a pillow under each arm and dragging her fuzzy, purple blanket behind her like a bridal train.

Rachel is met with the warm, inviting aroma of hot, buttery popcorn and she inhales deeply. “That smells amazing.” She dumps the pillows and blanket onto the sofa. “Do you want me to get another blanket or do you wanna just share mine?”

“That’s okay,” Rose says with a soft smile, “one is enough.”

Rachel flops belly-first onto the small blanket-pillow mountain and lies there comfortably, waiting for Rose. When her stepmother comes into the room with the popcorn, Rachel furrows her brows and looks at Rose almost incredulously. “Aren’t you gonna change?”

Rose sets the popcorn onto the coffee table and looks down at herself. _Oh. Right. _

An unspoken rule for Rose and Rachel’s movie nights is that all participants must, under all circumstances, adhere to the dress code: sleepy time casual.

Rose finds it adorable that Rachel still remembers and cares enough to stick by it. “Yes, I’ll do that now. Let me run upstairs.”

“I’ll wait,” Rachel promises, eyeing the popcorn bowl. With a mischievous grin, she reaches out and grabs a small handful. “I’m just gonna taste-test the snacks.”

Eager to rejoin Rachel downstairs, Rose changes into her nightgown with a bit more haste than usual. She’s fully aware that her tween isn’t going to climb all over her for cuddles like she used to, but that’s okay. Rose is just looking forward to having some one-on-one time with Rachel because, lately, those opportunities are few and far between.

Rachel has hit that difficult age… that sort of limbo between baby and adult. She’s not quite a teenager, but she’s definitely no longer a little kid. For the past couple of years, she’s been fighting her parents for more independence and rejecting treatment that she used to be fine with. Now Rachel chooses her own clothes and has her own sense of style. She sets her own alarm clock and can wake up for school all by herself. But, although she no longer asks for bedtime stories, or for Rose to stay with her until she falls asleep, for now, she still calls Rose into her room before bed and lets her tuck her in and give her a goodnight kiss. And Rose will keep doing so for as long as Rachel will let her.

Rose Amber will always have love to give, no matter how old her stepdaughter gets.

\----------

For the most part, all the ice cream and toppings have been returned to the freezer and their respective kitchen shelves. Just one last tub of cookies and cream remains. Rose stands by the sink and finds herself deep in thought, only half-watching over Rachel and her friends. She’s still thinking about what James told her at the arcade. Her hand moves on its own, reaching into the utensil drawer for a clean spoon, taking a single bite of ice cream and then dropping the spoon into the sink.

Should they tell Rachel that Sera’s coming tonight?

Rose plucks another spoon from the drawer and takes another bite of ice cream.

It’s not that she intentionally wants to hide it from Rachel. Not at all. But when Sera told her that she couldn’t make it to the party…

Shaking her head sadly, Rose grabs yet another spoon and scoops out an even larger chunk of the frozen dessert.

Rachel was so angry and hurt, and just seeing her like that was heartbreaking. And on her birthday. Her _birthday. _

Rose’s hand feels around for one more spoon, but there aren’t any left in the drawer.

“You know, it might’ve been easier to put some in a bowl instead of using up all the spoons,” says James, chuckling in amusement as he comes over from behind. 

Face flushing a soft pink at being caught, Rose shakes her head. “Oh, no. I was just putting it away. Just trying to clean up in here.”

James watches his wife put the lid back on the tub of ice cream and return it to the freezer. Her knit brows and the downward curve of her lips are telltale signs that there’s something bothering her. Recent events considered, James is pretty sure he knows what it is. In fact, he’s almost certain that it’s the same thing he came here to talk about.

“James, I was just thinking about…” Rose starts, but then her eyes dart over to their daughter and she lowers her voice, “about Sera. I don’t think we should tell Rachel.”

James sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I was just thinking about that.”

“I think we should just let her enjoy the rest of her sleepover. Sera won’t be here until… What time did you say she was getting in?”

“Hold on, she texted me her flight info,” says James, pulling out his phone to check Sera’s message. “Her plane gets in at around ten, but she still has to stop at the car rental place. She said she’ll call after she lands to give us an updated ETA.”

“We’re quite a ways from the airport,” Rose adds, fingers moving to fiddle with her bracelet. “I don’t think she’ll be here until midnight at the earliest.”

“You don’t think the girls will still be awake?”

Rose shakes her head. “Not this time. They’re exhausted, James. See how quiet they’re being? They’re usually chatting up a storm during movies.”

James looks into the living room. The girls do seem rather subdued tonight. His eyes wander over to Rachel and only then does he notice that she’s wearing her glasses. She only ever wears them at home when she’s tired. “Rachel might want to know.”

“I know,” sighs Rose, massaging the bridge of her nose with her fingers, “but she was so upset this afternoon. I don’t want to risk souring her mood just in case she still has some hard feelings about Sera not being there today.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“Let’s let her have fun tonight. She can see Sera in the morning.”

James agrees. Rachel is having a great time with her friends at the moment, and letting her end her birthday on a high note is the least they can do. They don’t want to rock the boat.

So James returns to his office and Rose resumes kitchen cleanup. Once all dishes have been washed and all countertops wiped, Rose decides that she has earned herself a break. She takes a seat in the dining room with a book, ready to unwind a bit while she waits for the girls to finish their movie.

Nearly two hours past Rachel’s normal bedtime, the movie ends and the credits start rolling. Almost immediately, the girls start chattering away, sharing comments and thoughts. The sudden increase of volume coming from the living room causes Rose to look up from her book and glance at the clock beside her. It’s getting late. Rose decides to let Rachel and her friends know that it’s time to head upstairs. Even if they don’t go to sleep right away, and Rose knows they won’t, it’s time to close up shop downstairs and bring the party up to Rachel’s room for the night.

Before Rose can get up from her chair, however, Rachel’s coming over to her. Rose internally sighs when she sees that all-too-familiar look on her face. It’s the one she pulls whenever she wants something. 

“Rose?”

Here it comes. Rose braces herself. “Yes, Rachel?”

Rachel sidles over beside her stepmother, clasping her hands together. “Can we stay up and watch one more movie?”

“Honey, it’s getting late. Do you know what time it is?”

“It’s only...” Rachel looks at the grandfather clock behind Rose. “Oh. But tomorrow’s Sunday!” Rachel is well-versed in the art of persuasion, or, in other words, the art of getting her way. The gears in her head are already turning. “I wanted to show Maxine _Freaky Friday _because she’s never seen it before and she really, really wants to watch it.”

“You’ve had such a long day. Aren’t you tired?” Rose expects to be shot down, but… it’s worth a try.

“No,” Rachel insists, a little too quickly, “not _really_.”

Rose gives her a look.

Realizing that she’s going to have to crank it up a notch, Rachel moves right next to her stepmother and leans against the side of the chair. Rose scoots over to make room for her and Rachel takes a seat. She loops her arm through Rose’s and rests her head on her shoulder. “Please? I promise we’ll go to bed right after.”

“Are you sure about that? I won’t hear you three giggling all night like last time?”

Rachel plays her last card. Pouting her lips, she looks up at Rose with big, sad eyes. “Pleeease, Rose?”

After years and years of Rachel’s tactics, Rose _knows _that this is just a show. But Rose is soft. She’s always been soft when it comes to Rachel, who’s always known exactly how to pull on her heartstrings. Tonight, though, Rose finds it even harder for her to say _no, _not only because it’s Rachel’s birthday, but because of those eyes. It wasn’t as noticeable from a distance, but with Rachel sitting so close, Rose can see how her eyes are still a little puffy. And then she remembers that afternoon, and how upset Rachel was… and Rose is weak. She just wants Rachel to have the best birthday possible. 

Sighing in defeat, Rose reaches out and smooths Rachel’s hair. “Just _one _more movie, and _only_ if you bring it upstairs and watch it in your room. Do we have a deal?”

Rachel squeals and throws her arms around Rose in a hug. “Yay! Thank you!”

And Rose hugs back, wrapping both arms around her and holding on tight even after Rachel starts to pull away.

“Hey!” Rachel’s voice is muffled from being squeezed against Rose. Her stepmother’s response is to hug her even more tightly, which causes Rachel to giggle and squirm around in attempt to break free. “Rose! Let me go!”

Giving Rachel’s back one last gentle pat and pressing a quick kiss to the top of her head, Rose loosens her hold. “Happy birthday, honey.”

Rachel quiets down and lingers in Rose’s arms just a moment longer. “You can watch the movie with us if you want.”

Finally pulling away, Rose smiles softly. “That’s okay. I know kids your age don’t want someone’s dorky mom hanging around.”

Rachel laughs. “You’re not _that_ dorky.”

Those four silly words still manage to warm Rose’s heart. “Thank you, Rachel.”

“Chloe, Maxine!” Rachel calls out to her friends to share the good news. “She said ‘okay’!”

“I want you girls to brush your teeth and get ready for bed before you start your movie, okay?” Rose instructs. “And don’t stay up too late. Maxine’s and Chloe’s parents will be by in the morning, and you know how Mrs. Caulfield likes to come early.”

Rachel returns to the living room to grab their next DVD before bidding Rose goodnight and leading her friends upstairs. There are a few more dishes left to wash, so Rose collects the girls’ ice cream bowls and brings them into the kitchen to add to the pile in the sink. She wets her sponge, squirts a generous amount of dish detergent onto one side and, yawning, begins what she hopes is her last chore of the day.

While Rose is in the middle of dish cleanup, James comes out of his office. “So, Sera called.”

Rose rinses the soap suds from a handful of spoons. “What did she say?”

“She’s on her way. Should probably be here around midnight.”

“All right. I’ll wait up for her,” Rose volunteers. “You can head up to bed first. I know you have that conference call in the morning.”

“Are you sure?” James asks. “I can wait up with you.”

“It’s fine, I’ll still be up. I was going to check in on the girls in a little bit anyway.”

James comes over and puts an arm around Rose, caressing down her back and resting a hand on her waist. Leaning in, he presses a lingering kiss on the soft skin between her neck and shoulder.

“James,” Rose warns in a hushed voice, nudging him away, “the girls.”

He gives a low chuckle. “Okay, okay. Thanks. Let me know if anything comes up.”

“Goodnight.”

The couple share a goodnight kiss and then James disappears upstairs. Once finished with the dishes, Rose sinks into the recliner and relaxes in front of the TV for a while. As it gets closer to midnight, Rose figures that she should pop upstairs one more time to make sure the girls are settling in for the night. Halfway to the second floor, she can already hear the faint sound of the movie playing through Rachel’s closed door. Rose knocks lightly and then waits, listening for a response.

Nobody answers, so Rose slowly opens the door, but only enough to stick her head inside. “Girls, is everything-” She stops. In the dim glow of the portable DVD player’s tiny screen, only one pair of eyes looks back up at her. Rose smiles, stepping into the room and walking slowly, silently over to the bed and lowers her voice to barely a whisper. “Oh dear. Maxine, it looks like your friends fell asleep on you.”

Sprawled out near the foot of the bed, one leg dangling off the edge is Chloe, snoozing with her mouth hanging open. On one side of the bed is Rachel, lying on her belly with her head in her arms, but flipped with her feet towards the headboard. She’s also sound asleep. Then there’s Maxine, sitting in one corner of the mattress, awake and alone and unsure of what to do.

“Would you like me to put this away?” The girl nods gratefully, and Rose picks up the DVD player from its spot against the footboard, careful not to pull on Rachel’s hair by accident. Closing the lid, she sets it on the nearby desk, then goes to rouse her stepdaughter and her sleeping friend. “Come on, girls. Bedtime.”

Rose manages to herd a half-conscious Rachel and Chloe into bed properly and get them under the covers. Only after making sure all three girls are snug and comfy does Rose excuse herself from the room. On her way out, she flips the switch on Rachel’s galaxy night light and gives a little wave to Maxine. “If you need anything, James and I are right down the hall. Sweet dreams.”

Before returning downstairs, Rose stops in her and James’ bedroom to put on something more comfortable. She’s so tired. The sight of her bed is incredibly tempting and it takes everything she has not to collapse onto her mattress and let sleep take her. But Rose changes into her nightgown and pulls on her robe, then slips into her house slippers and forces herself to walk away.

It’s hard for Rose to believe that the girls are all in bed before midnight. This might be the earliest they’ve ever gone to sleep on a sleepover night. A new record. The last time Chloe and Maxine slept over, Rose kept hearing voices and laughter all through the night… despite sending James into Rachel’s bedroom more than once to tell them that _enough was enough _and that they needed to go to sleep _now. _It wasn’t until around four or five in the morning that peace and quiet befell the Amber house at last.

The following morning was rough, and that’s putting it mildly. Rose had to shuffle three zombies downstairs for a breakfast that nobody was in the mood for, and it only got worse when it was time for her guests to leave. Rose was overly apologetic when Chloe’s and Maxine’s families arrived, afraid that she would be seen as an incapable parent who sets no boundaries and lets Rachel rule the roost. William Price, bless him, was completely understanding and laughed it off, saying that the kids never get any sleep at their house either. Rose felt a lot better… until she returned a visibly sleep-deprived Maxine to her mother and had to grin and bear it through Vanessa Caulfield’s silent but obvious judgement.

After stopping in the entryway to switch on the porch light, Rose goes into the living room with the same book from earlier and makes herself comfortable in the recliner facing the window. Sera should be here soon. She just needs to hold out a little longer, and then she can finally, _finally _head to bed. It’s been such a long day. 

Such a long day…

Rose has lost track of how many times she’s had this exact thought this evening.

Sinking deeper into the chair cushions, Rose cracks open her book but only ends up reading a couple of pages before she starts to nod off. The book slips from her grasp, forgotten, into the space between her and the armrest. Perhaps she should make herself a cup of tea? Vision turning a bit fuzzy, Rose blinks, and blinks, and blinks again… to no avail. Her eyelids feel so heavy. Rose wills herself to sit up, to maybe walk around the room so she can keep herself awake, but it’s as though her arms and legs have suddenly gained a thousand pounds each and she finds herself anchored to her seat.

How in the world is she going to be able to open the door when Sera arrives?

That’s her last conscious thought before everything fades to black.


End file.
